ICE Policy Reversed, Troop Testosterone Tests & World Cup Final - Thursday, July 16, 2026

**Erica Mandy** (0:00)
Today is Thursday, July 16th. We'll tell you why President Trump overruled that new order for ICE officers that would have paused controversial traffic stops and how some of Trump's top nominees answered tough questions on Capitol Hill.
Also, the Pentagon's latest effort to make American troops stronger and has to do with testosterone levels. Plus, a new way to spot Alzheimer's risk early is showing promise. OpenAI launched its first physical device, and the World Cup championship game has been set. Those stories and even more news to know, next.
Welcome to The NewsWorthy, all the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.
The new policy for ICE officers to limit traffic stops lasted just one day. President Trump posted online calling traffic stops one of ICE's most important and effective crime fighting tools, adding that ending them would be, quote, playing right into the criminal's hands. So with that, the recent directive was reversed. Just yesterday, we told you about ICE leadership telling officers not to stop moving vehicles to arrest or question people inside. That guidance came after two recent incidents where traffic stops ended with immigrants being shot and killed by ICE agents. ICE still says those shootings were justified, while immigrant advocates say they showed the need to change what they see as heavy-handed ICE tactics. The original pause was expected to give officers time to complete updated training. As of this morning, the Homeland Security Department has not commented on that training, but investigations into the recent shootings are still underway.
Three of President Trump's nominees face tense questioning on Capitol Hill this week. First, there's acting Attorney General Todd Blanch, who needs to be confirmed by the Senate before he would be able to take that job permanently. In his confirmation hearing yesterday, he was grilled on a series of controversies. For example, his handling of the Epstein files. Blanch apologized for mistakes made, referring to redaction errors. Remember, some wealthy men's names were redacted, while some of the victims' names and images were not. He was also questioned about the settlement that would have made Trump and his family exempt from IRS audits on their past taxes. He defended it, saying similar deals are typical, and that it didn't exempt Trump from following the law. Blanch needs the backing of all Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to get the job since no Democrats appear to be on board. But as of this morning, at least one GOP senator says he has some concerns. Also yesterday, another Senate committee questioned Trump's nominee for Director of National Intelligence, Jay Clayton. He was largely questioned on election security and keeping the intelligence community independent from political interference. Clayton told senators he was not an election denier, though he wouldn't say clearly that President Biden won the 2020 presidential election, just that the vote was certified for Biden. When asked if he could stand up to President Trump if needed, Clayton promised to rely on only the best intelligence and analysis available to give the president candidate advice. Clayton is expected to have enough support to be confirmed, though likely only among Republicans.
And finally, there was a confirmation hearing for President Trump's latest nominee for CDC Director, Dr. Erica Schwartz. She repeatedly told senators she believed in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, including the mRNA technology used in the COVID shots, and Schwartz promised to never betray the science or stop prioritizing Americans' health and well-being. In the end, senators seemed likely to approve her for the job as well.
The US military could soon be expanding the war in Iran. President Trump has apparently been considering his options in briefings with his top aides. And now reports say he's leaning toward a more aggressive military approach. That could mean stepping up airstrikes, sending in ground forces to seize Iranian islands, or bombing a site that some officials say could be used for covert nuclear work. Again, yesterday and into this morning, the US has kept up its airstrikes on Iranian military targets. And Iran is firing back in retaliation, claiming to strike military bases used by the US in Kuwait and Jordan. Though as of this morning, there's no independent confirmation of that. The US military has also been enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports as it tries to reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump has said he would prefer to resolve the Iran situation diplomatically, but the US and Iran have not been able to reach a breakthrough on their biggest issues, like Iran's nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz. So now Trump is reportedly asking for new options that could force Iran to surrender. Stay tuned.